As is my usual routine in December, I try to make some homemade chocolates or fudge as presents for Christmas. This year, I decided to go with some salted honey almond and some white chocolate with cranberry and pistachios. I’d never made white chocolate fudge before, but it turned out nice and vanilla-y. Definitely a treat!
Here is a nice and easy, no bake recipe that would thrill any child heading back to school, in their lunch box (do kids even have lunch boxes these days?): Rocky Road Cheerios Bars. Really easy to make (the trick is the freeze some of the mini-marshmallows and chocolate chips) and will last a couple of days if you don’t eat them all in one sitting. And even though it is a cheat to say “homemade” because you really just stirred them together, they are home made!
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine randomly mailed me pecans from her family farm in Tennessee. Wow, I don’t think that I have ever had pecans quite so fresh.
Well, after shelling all of them (more time consuming than I anticipated!), I didn’t quite know what to do with them. I contemplated just snacking on them until they weer all gone, but decided to make something after all. So, what to make? I ended up making this Salted Bourbon Pecan Brittle which is super yummy. Next time I might add in some maple syrup too, could be yummy too, right?
Making caramel isn’t my forte. Either it comes out to hard, too soft or I burn it, as it goes part the correct temperature, despite using a candy thermometer and it ends up with that burned flavor, even if it isn’t a total loss. After two attempts, I did get this right though and it is really quite yummy. A nice variation would be to add maple extract, or chili salt or cinnamon. For now, I just went with the basic.
OK, one more go at these “Really Big Cookie” Style of Cookie before I move on to something else. I decided the take the “Mega-Cookie” / “Bakery-style Cookie” to a new level by adding Rolos — you know, the caramel-filed chocolate candies? I froze them cut them in half and them added them to the cookie dough. Turned out — well basically like chocolate chip caramel cookies! I could have used the mini-rolos too, but the shops were out when I went looking. I’ll move on to something different now, but wanted to have one more go at them.